Issue 2025-017
Crack The Sky — The Baker Files
The moment this review is published, Crack The Sky are about to embark on a tour in celebration of their 50th anniversary. A remarkable achievement for a band that, apart from certain areas in the USA, never really received the worldwide recognition they, in my humble opinion, so rightfully deserved in light of their unique sound and music that combines pop, rock, and progressive rock with elements of new wave and punk.
With an extensive 30+ album legacy under their belt so far, I do admit that my enthusiasm has been moderately limited for some of their efforts. Mention however the first three studio albums and subsequent live album that they released during the early years of their existence, and my excitement knows no boundaries. This now also very much goes for the marvellous The Baker Files. An EP that in everything towards aspects of feel, vibe, sound and song material, effortlessly transports fans back to those magical 1975/1976 Crack The Sky and Animal Notes years.
To be more specific, the music here actually involves the period directly after. Seeing John Palumbo originally composed and recorded these five songs in 1976 after he had departed the band to pursue a solo career. With two of those songs worked up for inclusion on his 1978 solo debut Innocent Bystander, the actual recordings of just piano and vocals for the duration of nearly half a century remained firmly locked in his vault. To be ultimately recovered and restored and having life breathed into by current Crack The Sky members Rick Witkowski (guitar), Joey D'Amico (drums), Bobby Hird (guitars), and returning bassist Joe Macre in 2024.
Here's hoping more recordings of old exist as these results are outstanding to say the least. Hearing Palumbo's youthful voice resonate every bit as authentic and charismatically expressive as memory serves me is already a treat. Yet listening on how the other members sprightly harmonise to this with expert mature musicianship in playful 76 spirit nearly five decade later, is simply magical and the icing on a very scrumptious cake.
For everyone cherishing those memorable cracking moments of yore, Madness On Comet Way impacts home the most. As one of the compositions previously recorded for Palumbo's solo album, this fabulous version is now preceded by a grand prog and ominous atmosphere in the opening statement that evokes memories of Lynx and Nite City. It continues with captivating alternating melodies, rocking dynamics, vocal harmonies, and great slide guitar parts in typical prog-melodic Crack The Sky recipe which made those two very first albums such wonderful moreish musical trophies.
Family Man, the second and final song previously released, follows this outstanding start with bluesy piano bars, meticulously arranged odd-time signatures, and witty ironic lyrics all set in delightfully Steely Dan inspired groovy melodies. After which On The Balcony Tonight presents an ideal marriage of whimsical Queen and Beatles/Klaatu influenced interplay with an exciting bridge in brightest Crack The Sky tradition. And All Those Lights adds animated entertainment with bluesy soulfulness and quirky arrangements highlighted by slide guitar and comforting melodies that ooze engagingly complex Crack The Sky familiarities.
By the time Sitting On Top Of The World, a beautifully constructed guitar-led ballad completed in emotional beauty by moving vocals and harmonies, ends the EP on a harmoniously melancholic uplifting high note, there is only one conclusion to be drawn. The highly recommended The Baker Files is a definite must-hear experience and a most essential purchase for fans of Crack The Sky and those in search of truly addictive classic crack prog!
Danefae — Trøst
Back in 2019, a common love for the heavier side of rock brought together a group of friends to form Danefae during their studies at Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium, the music conservatory in Aalborg, Denmark. A few short years later, and the debut album Tro was released to positive reviews. Now, album two comes along in the form of Trøst.
We start with the gentle sounds of Fuglekongen, a mixture of psychedelia and folk that brings to mind the sounds of Hexvessel as it edges towards a heavier tone towards the end. Vætter follows next with Anne Olesen pulling you in with her vocal performance (in Danish of course), backed by the support of intricate drums and crunching guitar work before we slide back to the almost curious intro motif. Piano and bass lead us into Natsværmer, evoking the vibes of the early days of prog in the 70s. But all is not calm as the guitars punch back in and out to bring tension and atmosphere in before a powerful and captivating ending. Side 1 is rounded off by Vandskabt. Heavy down-tuned guitar work throws you to the floor, before the almost playful music picks you up and dusts you off in a contrast that adds a lot of flavour.
For side 2 we begin with the 12-minute epic P.S. Far er død, A melodious and emotive piece that drives through melancholic to epic and powerful, while delving into acoustic to electric progressions throughout. It starts gentle, but builds and grows into a monster of aggressive riffs, harsh vocals, and energy. The title track of the album provides a gentle interlude, soft and minimal to lure you into the final two tracks. Intricate fretwork is the name of the game for Blind, with a muted but complex series of riffs weaving the dark undertones to the track. And so enters Sang om Håb. Reining back the intricacy, but firing up the grooving, catchy harmonies and riffs, the band fires on all cylinders to provide a climactic and outstanding closer.
It is an interesting album, dancing between folk, psychedelia and alt metal. It makes me think of it Jethro Tull and Tool collaborated, it may sound like this (despite the lack of flute).
So, if you're a fan of the previously mentioned groups, Solstafir, Ulver or Mykur then you will probably enjoy this.
Gerald Massois — Demain à l'aube
Gerald Massois is a French artist influenced by Peter Gabriel, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd and Ange, and his prog music is in the symphonic style. Gerald Massois is in the middle of the process of writing a trilogy and Demain à l'Aube is the second part. The first album Le vol erratique d'un papillon was released in 2018 and for that album he played all the instruments himself except for the drumming. He started writing for the second album immediately afterwards but due to the pandemic the release of Demain à l'Aube was delayed. For Demain à l'Aube, Gerald decided not play everything by himself, and we have Jonathan Tavan on bass, Nicolas Gardelon on piano and keyboard plus a few guest appearances, among which is Gionatan Carradona of Profusion. This album, just like the previous one, features Maxx Gillard on the drums.
1939 is an instrumental opener with many keyboards and programmable orchestra. The progressive rock kicks in with the start of Les Ennemis d'hier. The French lyrics automatically make you turn to Nemo and Ange. The style is not as psychedelic as Ange, it comes closer to Nemo with a bit more accent towards guitar. On the first song it sounds a bit messy at times and the vocal lines sound not really convincing. This is a bit better on the two parts of La bataille de l'Ebre, here everything sounds a lot more convincing. In the second part there is a lot more room for the keyboards and the makes the music sound a lot richer. When the keyboard layers are not there the engine sounds like it needs a bit of oil. There are some damn fine passages on here.
Les trains d'ombres is a slower song, the middle part has exciting instrumental parts that keep the song alive. During the vocal parts at the beginning and at the end the song starts to drag. The epic Une colline sans nom is all over the place. Completely instrumental so not limited by vocal lines, this song jumps from one exciting part to another. During the guitar solos the keyboards are again a bit too far to the back of the mix and the sound becomes a bit dry.
In between the two lengthy epic songs there is L'encre des maux, an acoustic guitar piece and on this song the vocal lines come out better. Demain à l'aube starts with piano and the song slowly comes alive. After about six minutes the song comes even more alive, some nice keyboards solos and the thick layer of these keyboards make the music really come alive again. Les passagers du vent starts acoustic and towards the end becomes more electric. During the guitar solo at the end the volume slowly decreases and the album is finished.
At times Gerald Massois provides some excellent music on Demain à l'aube. When the sound is rich with keyboard sounds and guitar solos it sounds awesome. When there are not enough keyboards in the mix, the music sounds a bit dry. His vocal abilities are OK but some parts with lyrics do not really flow. I have to admit I prefer the first part Le vol erratique d'un papillon. Hopefully for part three Gerald Massois will get all things sorted out.
Ruby Dawn — Blood On Water
Wokingham-based alt-prog band Ruby Dawn have released (last November) the follow-up to their 2023 debut Beyond Tomorrow. The line-up remains the same with Carola Baer (keys and vocals), Dave Salsbury (guitar) and the two Ians, Ian Turner (bass) and Ian Perry (drums).
Ruby Dawn mix classic rock melodies, chorus focussed structures with alternative rock elements and progressive rock. The solid drumming and exemplary bass work provides the bedrock for huge guitar chords and sparkling solos with keyboards adding thickened melodic drive to the songs.
While many female fronted prog bands share a similar sound world (Magenta, Panic Room, Mostly Autumn, Solstice) whose work I do enjoy, it is the outliers that I find more interesting such as Bent Knee. Ruby Dawn's Carola Baer falls into her own space with her gravelly blues inflected voice. A sort of less shouty Janis Joplin, just as passionate but more controlled.
Blood On Water is a loose concept album centred around the journeys of Alice and the good and bad things that happen to her. Inspired by human experience, with references to some of the literary classics and themes of 'injustice, freedom, conflict, love and war, and humanity's place in the universe.'
The songs themselves are engaging, with a melodic energy and keen arrangements that keep the less prog and more alternative rock songs listenable (Juliet, Arms Of Love). The more progressive tracks make good use of loud / quiet passages and make more of a feature of the bass (Alice Come Home, Social Disaster, Chronicles Of A Celestial Soul ). There are a couple where a blues influence bleeds through and I rather like these (Blood On Water, Easy Feels, Run Rabbit). However, the last two tracks leave me a bit cold. The wanna-be Bond theme of Nothing Left To Say and the spoken word intro of This Garden leading to alt-rock power balladry is a mix that doesn't work for me.
If you are in the mood for big chords, some sparkling guitar solos and very fine bass playing and singing then Ruby Dawn's Blood On Water is one for you.
Sequentia Legenda — Decem
With Decem, Sequentia Legenda, a.k.a. Laurent Schieber, celebrates a decade of artistic and spiritual evolution. It was released on the 27th of December 2024, exactly 10 years after his debut Blue Dream (available on Bandcamp), which at the time solely consisted of the track Fly Over Me. Now, it finds Schieber share his visions of the Berliner Schule art again through three compositions revisited with the 432 Hz frequency.
This "feel good frequency" is said to bring closer harmony and enhance feelings of connection, relaxation, meditation and spiritual cleansing. Whether Decem actually induces these calming effects during its beautiful musical odyssey I'll let everyone experience for themselves. As an invitation to give free rein to imagination and intuition, I do however notice that in a non-spiritual way, Schieber's harmoniously crafted tapestry of dreamy atmospheres at certain moments comfortingly envelops me with a warm blanket of peaceful serenity. Ultimately, it works for me.
One such working moment takes place during the cosmic exploration of Extended Intuition Into The Unknown (Jubilee edition). Vast in scope and beautifully transparent with richness of sound, this dream-inducing soundscape is a wonderful Berliner Schule EM exhibition that soothingly sequenced floats through hypnotising spacious realms. Mellotron choirs perfectly convey Schieber's underlying message and adds a delightful comforting sense of divinity to this.
Captured with warmth and crystalline spaciousness, the beautiful dream flight of Fly Over Me (Jubilee Edition) brings epic peaceful, serene designs. Harmoniously oscillating with meditative sequences that leisurely intensify in luminosity as if one approaches the sun. During its lengthy excursion, it plots a beautiful diversified course past Klaus Schulze and Jean Michel Jarre designs in which elegant pitch shifts create the illusion of actual movement. And tranquilly travels on with a generous stream of movements resonating Eternity and Vangelis until rhythmic guidance finally steers the intricately moving melodies towards a galactic ocean of soothing calmness.
Blessed with vivacious purity and a wonderful sedating symphony of alluring EM that tingles, cleanses and refreshes, I personally find the vibrantly energetic futuristic wonders of Stellar Odyssey to be Decem's highlight. I especially enjoy the way in how this meticulously crafted composition frequently transcends the boundaries of my surroundings.
For lovers of EM, and especially those admiring the early works of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, I'm convinced that the extraordinary feel-good nature of Decem will bring similar levels of contentment.
In likeness to Sequentia Legenda's recent albums Alcyone and Galactic Crystals, Decem is another thoroughly gratifying effort that shares an abundance of intricate details and touching arrangements for listeners to discover. A highly recommended and essential album to take into consideration for everyone who enjoys masterly crafted Berliner Schüle art.
Starting with the upcoming June 9th release of A Ray Of Light, I look forward with high anticipation to ten more years of open-hearted musical sharing.
Yoo Doo Right — From The Heights Of Our Pastureland
Canadian post-rockers Yoo Doo Right's third album has rather a political polemic with the band professing it to be driven by themes of "anxiety and patience, the storm of colonialism, the collapse of capitalism and the massive undertaking it is to rebuild from past mistakes". Drawing parallels between "natural disaster and social disaster" with an ominous expectation of "an impending destructive storm and societal disaster". The band, named after the track that filled the second side of the 1969 debut album Monster Movie by Can (or The Can, as they were known for a short period), is, and always has been, a trio of Justin Cober (guitar, synthesizers, vocals), Charles Masson (bass) and John Talbot (drums, percussion).
I know some people are adamant that post-rock should be entirely instrumental, but even genre pioneers like Mogwai have broken that unwritten "rule". I don't think that there should be any hard and fast edicts on the subject as I guess that initially the style and structure of the music was such that there simply wasn't space within the fluctuating rhythms and inherent dynamism of the soundscapes to be able to squeeze in vocal lines without them appearing forced.
Vocals on this album are limited to a small section of opening track Spirit's Heavy, But Not Overthrown, which starts of with some heavy guitar drones that reminds me of a flight of aircraft taking off! When the rest of the band come in we are treated to a lengthy section that is very engaging yet slightly ominous. The key to this section is its understated simplicity allowing the listener to fully absorb the changes in textures as they slowly develop. It is well over halfway before we enter the faster, although not dramatically so, vocal section. Cober tends to recite the vocals in an almost angry manner which didn't really endear me to them, particularly as when he did sing a world that he had what sounded to be a pretty good voice. This is followed by a delightful two minutes of brashness which disappointingly is curtailed by a quiet section of almost ambient noises that to my ear are rather superfluous, or at least too long. Apparently Francis Leduc-Bélanger guests on trumpet on this piece, but it is not immediately obvious to this listener!
The droning continues at the start of Eager Glacier but is accompanied by a driving drum pattern that pounds away as the drones intensify. Perhaps it would have made more sense to have interpolated the two tracks rather than leave an extended 20-second gap between the two as it would have made more sense of the closing drone on the first track. The pacing of this piece is perfectly judged and there is a precision to the execution that is very enticing. For a trio they certainly cover all the basses and if one didn't know the band line-up once could easily think there were four or five musical contributors; sparse this is not. The smooth transition into Ponders End (a part of North London and not Montreal!) and my favourite track of the album. There is nothing overly complex about it, but it contains a rather majestic power which is only emphasised by the brutally direct and insistent drums.
Lost In The Overcast is more sedate and reflective with acoustic guitar strumming providing a neat contrast to the electric guitars on previous numbers. A great addition to an overall very mature album that not many bands could reach on only their third full album. The album's title track ends the album and one can immediately tell why they gave this piece the dual honour. An emphatic post-rock sound with Masson performing a lovely bass line it brings the album to a very satisfying conclusion.
From The Heights Of Our Pastureland is my first exposure to Yoo Doo Right, and it is not only a great introduction to the band, but it also gives me the opportunity to delve into a hither-too unexplored back catalogue. Well Worth a listen.